learning because i'm learning from two of the best. >> try the butter lettuce. >> all right. if you say so. [laughter] >> i'll do it. >> i'll like it or not. >> okay. >> thank you for joining us. we'll see you next time on like it or not. [music] >> don't take that step. go. break it down. rock your body. move it out. go and take that step. go and break i down. rock your i'm anna garcia. right now on true crime news. a crushing legal blow for the accused killer in the university of idaho murders. the judge denying brian kohberger's request to have key evidence thrown out. but his team are raising new doubts. mysterious dna found at the crime scene. unidentified blood samples. could kohberger actually walk free? plus, a beautiful bride to be vanishes. >> she said they just won't leave me alone.

>> was she taken by strangers or someone she knew? >> he started having a behavior that was somewhat suspicious. >> her car is found, but the case goes cold until cops get a tip. and the investigation leads them right to one of their own. >> astoundedn disbelief. >> thanks for joining us. it is a case that has been in the public eye for over two years, and the case against brian hb new twist. accused killer brian kohberger linked through dna evidence to the murders of four university of idaho students. >> these tragic murders took four young, vibrant lives from our community. >> the victims were viciously stabbed to death at an off campus house in moscow, idaho. investigators zeroed in on kohberger, a graduate student in criminology at washington state university, just a few miles from the idaho crime scene.

prosecutors said kohberger's dna was found on a knife sheath at the crime scene, revealing in court documents police swooped in on kohberger because they feared he was destroying evidence. law enforcement used familial dna testing or investigative genetic genealogy to track down the accused killer. >> in the traditional dna evidence that is used in law enforcement. they are looking for an exact match, but in investigative genetic genealogy, we can work with these partial matches and they might share less than 1% of their dna. >> the investigation also turned up blood dna from two other unidentified males at the house. the defense cried foul, raising questions about the search warrant, insisting kohberger's constitutional rights were violated by detectives. use of the controversial technique of familial dna testing. the judge disagreed, ruling against every one of the defense's motions,

allowing the dna evidence in a crushing defeat to the defense. joining me now to discuss her former senior orange county district attorney matt murphy, and nima rahmani, former federal prosecutor and president of the west coast trial lawyers, thank you both for being here. so what do you make of the other dna that was found at the scene? it is the dna of two unknown males. blood on a handrail. >> now, anytime you have another. alleged suspect, another story for the defense. >> you want an alternate theory of the case? >> right. >> and this gives the defendant not one, but two alternate theories. >> do you think the fact that there is such little physical evidence that puts brian kohberger at the scene a problem? >> i think from. >> the perspective of the detectives and the family members, that getting the suspect's dna at the scene, not just at the scene, but on a sheath that's consistent with a

k bar knife, which they believe was the murder weapon, is pretty significant. so you can have all kinds of physical evidence, but that's really what you want. >> nima, are you surprised that there isn't more dna evidence at the scene, given how vicious these attacks were? >> i am. and we're talking about one of the most gruesome murders in idaho state history. four college students killed. a bloody mess. and to have really no kohberger blood at the scene. but it was certainly a lot more careful than your typical alleged killer. >> the fact that he was working on his ph.d. in criminology. do you think that he is that much more educated and a smarter suspect? >> well, mike, mike tyson, the great philosopher, has a quote. everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face. okay. and that speaks to the idea that no matter how careful you are, how smart you are, if it's your first rodeo in a murder, something is bound to go wrong.

and one of the theories on this is that he went in there to rape or rape and murder or just murder one of these victims, and he went in and surprisingly found another woman in bed with her, not sexually, but they used to when they partied, they'd get drunk, they would sleep together in the same bed. and all of a sudden, this plan, whatever the killer, whether it's him or somebody else, had in their mind, all of a sudden it goes south. >> matt, because you worked on the golden state killer case, and familial dna was at the center of finding the killer. how do you see the change in application in the kohberger case? >> well, this is a this is sort of the cutting edge of modern forensic technology, but it's not brand new and looke. ever since the show csi first came on tv, jurors want dna evidence. they want to they want to hear about it. they want to know about it. and it's almost a disadvantage if you don't have it. and here we've got it allegedly on a sheath that fits

some sort of weapon, completely consistent with the slaughter of four college kids. >> matt. nima, thank you so much. of course, we will be following this case very closely, and we will bring you updates here and on true crime news.com. up next, she was about to get married, but before she could walk down the aisle, she disappeared. >> we started calling. >> a lot of hospitals. >> at that point, we went down and we got the papers to report her missing. >> but she was no runaway bride. someone took nikki mcgowan. the question is who? >> is? >> slow down. >> cut! >> i get it. >> slow motion. slow down. >> geographic atrophy. >> but we. >> don't need gimmicks. >> stick to the facts. gah! >> the advanced. >> form of. dry amd can irreversibly damage your vision. but ciuffo is an fda approved injection that gives you the

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a 28 year old niqui mccown had lots of reasons to be excited about her life. she had a good job, was raising a daughter that she loved, and was about to marry her high school sweetheart. so one day when nikki didn't show up at her sister's house as planned, everyone in her life knew something was wrong. unfortunately, they were right. it's sunday afternoon in richmond, indiana, and 28 year old nikki mccown is checking off her to do list before her wedding. one errand includes a trip to the neighboring town of dayton, ohio, to pick up beauty supplies. her fiance, bobby webster, met the woman he was about to marry in high school.

>> i played basketball and all the girls tried to impress. >> him, and i. >> finally got a, you know, a conversation with her and asked her out on the date. >> but after high school, bobby and nikki broke up and went their separate ways. nikki moved on to date a local richmond man named steven johnston. the couple soon had a daughter together named peyton. >> if i was smarter, she'd still be here and we'd still be together. >> their relationship was filled with turmoil. >> i wasn't good to her. i wasn't at all. i cheated, i was abusive. >> and nikki never forgot her first love, bobby. the feeling was mutual. when the two reconnected a few years later. >> we were together for about three and a half years before i moved to california, and then i came back. we got back together. the minute i got back, it seemed from california and it went on from there. >> and soon they'd be married. nikki was all smiles when she stopped by her sister's house.

>> she did her laundry every sunday, right down the street from my house. she would have just been sitting at my house waiting for her laundry to get done. we just hung out. that's what we did. >> but on the day nikki went missing, she mentioned something suspicious. >> she said they just won't leave me alone. >> nikki tells her family she's getting harassed by men at the laundry mat. >> she said, just go get your laundry and come bring it back here. you can dry it here. >> nikki tells her family she'll be back and heads to the laundry mat to grab her clothes. >> it's assumed that she was over at a friend's. just, you know, chatting away about the wedding. >> but an hour passes, and nikki is a no show at her sister's house. bobby hasn't heard from her either. >> and as time kept ticking, i started getting a little worried. >> then a major red flag. nikki fails to pick up her nine year old daughter. >> her grandmother called me and said, hey, would you come and get paid? i'm like, sure, what's going on? and they told me then.

>> then panic sets in. >> we started making a lot of calls. we started calling a lot of hospitals. >> at that point, we went down and we got the papers to report her missing. they told us it was too soon. you know, because at that point, i guess you had to wait 72 hod report somebody as an adult missing. and for that reason is because they are allowed to make a decision just to go and come and go as they want. >> but monday morning rolls around and nikki misses her shift at the correctional facility where she works. i started crying and i knew something. >> was wrong. >> because she loved. >> her job. >> cops start a missing persons investigation. detectives first look into the incident involving two men who were allegedly harassing nikki at the laundromat. >> there were reports that there were two subjects that were kind of giving her a hard time. whether it be flirting and, you know, things along that line. >> but nothing comes from the

lead. police turn their attention to surveillance video from the convenience store across from the laundromat. these are the last known images of nikki just before she vanished. while police conduct their investigation, nikki's family grows suspicious of her fiance, bobby. >> he canceled the wedding hall got a refund for that. he had tried to return the ring to get a refund for that. had looked into her schooling money for school to get a refund. >> police asked bobby to take a lie detector test. >> it showed deception, according to the polygraph examiner. >> police consider bobby a person of interest. >> his behavior was erratic, but as in physical evidence, there's no evidence. >> but police have no proof that bobby is responsible for nikki's disappearance, and bobby denies wrongdoing, saying he needed quick cash for a cell phone to stay in contact with people involved in the search. >> sell back the ring. it was

only a deposit on the ring. it was a layaway. how? i sell back a layaway. >> then three and a half months after nikki vanishes, cops find her car taking the investigation in a completely new direction. coming up, cops search nikki's car for clues. >> her laundry was still in the vehicle, folded in the baskets. >> but it's not what's in the car that led them to their prime suspec >> he had somewhat of an obsession with her. we at visiting angels want to thank you. >> for welcoming. >> us into your home. >> no matter. >> where that home may. >> be, the challenge of aging doesn't go away. and for over 25 years, it's been our pleasure providing caregivers that we would have, caring for our own mothers and fathers. visiting angels, where compassion meets commitment and love is our service. >> visiting angels america's

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closed captioning and other considerations for true crime news provided by. >> long after guests leave viruses and bacteria linger. air fresheners add a scent, but only lysol air sanitizer helps erase the trace, eliminating odor and killing 99.9% of viruses and

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because i was excited that it was found because now i'm thinking, wow, now we can find out something that has happened in here. >> and when cops searched the car, they find her laundry. >> her laundry was still in the vehicle, folded in the baskets. >> police wonder if nikki drove there to perhaps see someone she knew. turns out her ex boyfriend lives there. >> absolutely. you're going to talk to him? >> richmond police contacted nikki's ex and the father of her only child, steven johnston. steven says he has nothing to hide and cooperates. >> lie detector tests gave my dna whatever they needed. i would have gave it to him the very next day. all they had to do was ask. we talked to him. he did a polygraph and he passed the polygraph. >> investigators said nikki's car to the state crime lab for testing. >> the vehicle was processed for dna, for blood, for fingerprints. but we didn't find anything. >> but they soon discover the car was also parked near another

apartment complex where a friend of nikki's lives. his name? tommy swint. >> the person that she could have been involved with. >> turns out tommy and nikki both worked together at the same correctional facility in dayton, ohio. >> in speaking with family and friends, it was found that they believed that he had somewhat of an obsession with her. >> but tommy has little interest in talking to cops. >> he was not completely cooperative. there was something odd about him. never quite cooperative, wouldn't answer questions completely, or would go off subject. >> the leads go cold and six long years pass. >> not knowing is killing us. >> then suddenly the case heats up when richmond police get a tip. tommy schwindt is no longer working at the correctional facility. he's now a cop. >> astounded. in disbelief. >> he's working the next town

over in trotwood, ohio. >> so we asked them, you know, did tommy disclose the fact that he is a major person of interest in our nikki mccowan missing person investigation? and they said he didn't. >> tommy resigns but then sues the city of richmond, claiming he wasn't told that he was a person of interest in nikki's disappearance. richmond police fired back, claiming investigators did tell tommy he was a person of interest and tommy's law suit is dismissed. the case is big news in the area, leading to a stunning development. someone recognizes tommy and gives police in neighboring dayton, ohio, an anonymous tip. >> somebody called. >> in to give us. >> information in regards. >> to looking at him as a possible suspect. >> in tina ivory's case. >> 33 year old tina ivory lived in dayton, ohio, but in 1991, she went missing. >> she was actually found off

the side of a road, thrown like trash in a trash pile. >> while police were able to build a suspect's dna profile from blood and semen stains on the blanket used to cover tina's body, investigators were missing one key thing. >> a suspect to match it to. >> turns out tommy had given richmond police a dna sample. >> and then richmond, in turn, gave it to us. he did not know that he was under the radar for tina's homicide. the blood dna that was on the blanket matched tommy's schwindt, as well as two semen spots that were on the jacket of tina ivory. that was inside. the body bag that was used. actually came back to tommy schwindt. >> forensic teams also pull a fingerprint from the tape used to bind tina's body. police tracked down tommy, who is now working as a security guard and living in alabama, with a warrant to obtain his fingerprints. >> we got him in his vehicle while he was going to work.

>> the fingerprints are a match. >> we definitely knew we had our guy. i'm asking you, did you kill her? i don't even telling you that. we have evidence that says that you did. what do you have to say to that? >> i do respect. >> and i understand what your job is. but i have to bring this to a close. >> tommy is free to go for now. back in richmond, indiana, police get word that tommy is about to be indicted in dayton for tina ivory's murder. >> and we believe that through interviewing him in connection with that homicide, that we were going to be able to obtain information to figure out, you know, where nikki was and what had happened to her. >> three police agencies in indiana, ohio and alabama are ready to move in and take down a killer. >> well, at that point, we contacted alabama. as soon as

the indictment came out to go out and arrest him and pick him up. and when they did and they approached the house, they had heard a gunshot. and tommy actually took his life. >> while it may have ended the murder investigation, nikki's family is left with many unanswered questions. >> all i wanted out of all of this is to have a mother and me to have a wife. >> her daughter peyton, who was nine at the time her mother vanished, has grown up in is a mom herself. >> i think that. >> everything happens. >> for a reason. so i think when the time is right and when it's ready to come out, it will. >> i blame myself for it. because if i would have treated her mother better, her mother would still be here. >> we'll be right back. >> today we are talking about medicare part c, commonly called medicare advantage. if you're losing benefits for any reason

or new to medicare, you can call now because you may be eligible for plans in your zip code with additional benefits or cost savings you may not be receiving now, or that may have previously not been available to you. different part c plans are available in different parts of the country, so don't wait. call the number on your screen now. you should call now even if you've called before. we will check to see if there is a part c plan available in your area, with additional benefits and potential cost savings. call to speak with a licensed insurance agent and find out if you are eligible for a special enrollment period. you don't get medicare part c benefits automatically, so call now for your free 2025 no obligation medicare benefits review. just call.

>> on the next true crime news. vegas boxer goes for a jog and

is ambushed on a desert trail. >> he said these guys are here. >> now these guys are following me and you need to come get me right now. he was so scared. and so frantic. >> beaten and strangled. his body dumped by the side of the road. >> who would want josh dufort killed? >> was this a random attack or was he worth more dead than alive? >> it's too many coincidences. >> on the next true crime news, become a true crime news insider. the wedge alarm door stopper is perfect for hotel rooms or even at home. place this device under the door and the loud alarm will sound off if someone tries to enter. visit true crime news.com to get these products now. for the latest breaking crime news go to true crime news.com. watch more exclusive content 24 over seven on our youtube channel. follow us at my true crime news. you can also listen to our podcast. brand new episodes drop every week and sign up for our

newsletter so you don't miss a thing. two very different with one common denominator dna evidence. and while nikki mcgowan's family may never get all the answers they are hoping for, perhaps the families of the university of idaho victims will. that's it for today's true crime news. i'm anna garcia. see you next time, everyone. crime never stops (ominous music) - melissa was just at home by herself. he forced himself into her home. - her killer wrapped his hands around her throat and was squeezing the very life out of her. the rumor on the street was that the boyfriend had committed the crime. - prior melissa's death, they got involved in an argument. - one of the phone numbers in melissa lee's phone book was for something called the nightline. she had met someone on the nightline. - at this point, how could detectives crack the case? - they needed some sort of solid evidence that would link someone to the crime. (tense music)